Left Field
by Klutzygirl33
Summary: Set post "Going Home" with spoilers and speculation for the second half of season three. When Hook takes Emma and Henry to the Enchanted Forest, she's surprised to reunite with someone she really missed.


**I don't own Once Upon A Time and never will. No copyright infringement intended.**

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When Emma and Henry were transported through the portal to the Enchanted Forest, it sent a jolt through them that made them sick. Henry calmed himself down, but Emma took a left towards some bushes. After she cleaned herself up, she joined Hook and her son again. "Feeling better?" Hook asked.

She nodded. "I feel fine. Let's do this." She desperately needed to see her parents again. Emma just wished she didn't hate the Enchanted Forest so much. Both trips to "Fairy Tale Land" had sucked. Storybrooke had had a lot of issues, but it had still been better than Neverland and the Enchanted Forest. At least it had bathrooms and running water and technology. When they reached a clearing full of people milling around, she scanned the crowd looking for her parents. She beamed when she saw them both.

Snow gasped when she turned around and saw her daughter and grandson. "Emma!" she cried out.

Emma didn't care that she was a thirty year old woman – these were parents and she missed them, so she ran to them. Henry and Hook followed her. "I missed you."

"It's so good to see you." David kissed the top of her head and then ruffled Henry's hair. It had been horrible – more so than usual – this year without the two of them.

"You've grown so much," Snow told Henry. She couldn't believe how tall had he gotten in a year. It was a little shocking.

"Thanks, Grandma. Where's my mom?" Henry desperately needed to see his other mother before he burst with excitement about being back.

"She's over there." Snow pointed in another direction and Henry skipped off to find her and hug her. The reunion made both Emma and Snow tear up, even though they couldn't hear what was going on. Both Henry and Regina were so happy that they couldn't help but be thrilled for mother and son. They'd have to work out something in regards to custody – they hadn't had time to sit down and talk about it before – but Emma didn't expect to have problems. Henry deserved to have time with her. She wouldn't begrudge him that at all. She, Neal, and Regina could be civil about this.

"So, Storybrooke's still gone, huh?" Emma wished the town had somehow found its way back, but that was okay. She could learn to like this place if she had to. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad this time around. Oh, who was she kidding? Magic created chaos everywhere it went. And she had to stop the Wicked Witch so she just had to accept this was her life now. It had been nice without magic for a year (all those times the lights flickered or something turned on by itself made sense now and she could take pleasure in the fact that their apartment wasn't haunted like Henry thought it was), but something had been missing during that time. That was no longer true – she was back with her family where she belonged. She was truly happy again.

"Unfortunately. We've tried to find something that could restore it, but there's nothing. We miss technology. And indoor plumbing."

"And football." Off Emma and Snow's glare, David just shrugged. "What? It's the truth. I really liked football!"

The two women laughed. "So what about that baby you two were talking about having? That happen or what?"

Snow nodded. "I'm four months pregnant. It's a boy." She couldn't wait to see her son. And they were both secretly glad it wasn't a girl – neither she nor David wanted Emma to think she was being replaced, especially since that wasn't the place.

Emma congratulated them and was about to say something else before someone caught her eye. She turned and stared to makes sure she was seeing right – she was. "August?" she whispered. Then she found her face. "August!"

He looked up and stared at her before grinning. Emma rushed across the clearing, bumping into a few people and pissing them off (she apologized for doing so), and then rushed into his open arms. "Emma, it's so good to see you."

Once he let go, Emma asked the questions she needed answers to. "How? You were just a little boy the last time I saw you. What happened?"

"It had something to do with the curse. It fucked with a lot of things and turned me back into an adult. Got to say that I'm really glad I'm not a kid anymore. Living my life all over again would have fucking sucked. Papa and I talked things out and we're okay now. But I want to apologize to you for fucking up before the curse broke and after it did."

She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize – I do. I'm sorry for not believing in you. Maybe you wouldn't have turned into wood if I had just realized sooner. Maybe I could have stopped Greg and Tamara before they murdered you. I'm glad you're back," she assured him. She had missed her best friend and was secretly thrilled he was no longer a little boy.

"You don't have to apologize either then." August debated on whether or not he should tell her the truth – what if she rejected him? But then he thought about how he could accept it if she did. He just wanted her to know how he felt and it was up to her to do with that what she wanted. "Emma, I have to tell you something." But he stalled and they stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"August, you can tell me. It's okay." She smiled encouragingly at him and urged him to continue.

He nervously smiled at her before continuing. "I'm in love with you. Have been for a while, but I don't think I'm good enough for you. And you definitely don't have to return my feelings. If you want to be with Neal or Hook or someone else, that's fine with me. Your happiness – and Henry's – is all that matters. You decide what you want to do and I'll accept it."

She suspected he felt that way, but she wasn't sure how to take it. But she had a question for him first. "So say that Henry's my true love and I just want to focus on my son? You'd be fine with that?"

August stared at her. "Why wouldn't I be? He's your child. I wouldn't want to get in the way of that and I'd respect your choices. You should do whatever you want to do. I just wanted to tell you how I felt." It hurt that she didn't feel the same way, but he'd get over it.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's said to me in a long time. Guys in New York come on way too strong. And I got caught up with a love triangle with Neal and Hook. That sucked, especially since I don't feel anything for Hook and I've moved on from Neal." She would always love him, but she wasn't in love with him anymore.

"Okay." He really wasn't sure what to say to that. "So we can still be friends. It's totally fine if we're nothing more than that," he explained to her.

"I was falling in love with you, too," Emma finally confessed. The fact that he put her happiness above his own feelings? That was icing on top of the cake. She had tried to ignore her feelings for a long time and then pushed them away, which was easy when she was dealing with magical fuck-ups every day of her life for a long period of time.

"Was?" August wasn't really sure how to take that.

She leaned over and kissed him. "I want to be with you, but I gotta take care of my kid and this Wicked Witch. You good with that?"

He nodded. "Of course I am. You have more important things than me to worry about. Go ahead and do what you need to do. I'll be here waiting if you need me." He kissed her again and then waved as she walked away.

Hook and Neal had eavesdropped from a tree a few feet away and both looked a little dejected after hearing the conversation. Hook sulked away to go find Tink while Neal sighed and accepted it. Emma had moved on and he wouldn't bother her about a relationship again. Besides, he himself had moved on to someone else (Regina) in the past year and wanted something more than sex (even though it was pretty awesome).

Emma had finally been reunited with the right man for her and she couldn't wait to see what happened with their relationship once she defeated the Wicked Witch. August was definitely it for her.


End file.
